Advances in technology mean the amount of digital information we collectively possess is growing exponentially. Estimates suggest that by 2020 there will be 300 times more information in the world than there was in 2005.

Big data has the power to transform the way corporations understand the impact of their business on the environment, and prompt them to take action on sustainability. But storing and gathering this data is costly in itself, with large data servers located across the world consuming huge amounts of energy and adding to carbon emissions.

In this podcast our panel of experts discuss how big data can help business to tackle questions of sustainability, and ask whether the barriers to using data sustainably can be overcome. What happens if data gets into the wrong hands? And how will data change the way that consumers and customers behave?

On the panel

Toby Miller, co-author of Greening the Media

Anna Crowe, policy advisor at Privacy International

Hugh Jones, managing director of advisory for the Carbon Trust

Angel Hsu, project director at the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy

Key quotes

Niall Dunne: "The key word here is trust. If we start to use big data to spam people the first thing that happens is they shut down. They opt out of that way of living. The onus is on brands to be able to really understand who they are dealing with, and create better ways of living on the back of that data."

Toby Miller: "Again and again we are told that this is a post-smoke stacks domain: it's not like manufacturing, it's not like agriculture, it's not like mineral extraction. But in fact most of the clouds are still powered right around the world by the dirtiest coal-based energy imaginable."

Anna Crowe: "There is a more general issue around data being equated with truth, that data is ging to tell us the truth about a situation when it can be deeply flawed."

Hugh Jones: "The supply chain is where big data can really shine a light on our impacts on the planet in a way that the traditional way of doing business never has done. Data enables a car manufacturer to see that products and services go around the world sometimes two or three times to six or seven plants in five countries before they end up in the car."

Angel Hsu: "We can't rely on governments that have very strapped budgets to gather the data that we really need to be able to push forward the sustainability agenda."

Get involved

Do you agree with our panelists? How can business use big data to become more sustainable and understand their impact on the environment? Listen to the podcast and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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